Nairobi — Agriculture minister William Ruto signalled his determination to defend Mau settlers, describing the leaders behind the evictions as "heartless".

In apparent reference to Prime Minister Raila Odinga who has been pushing for the rehabilitation of the Mau, Mr Ruto said leaders who failed to recognise the suffering of the settlers were unfit to hold public office.

Speaking in Isiolo, Mr Ruto said it was unfair to refer to the Mau settlers as criminals who should be herded out of the "only place the call home."

"People who evict others from the Mau, dump them by the roadside with their children and without food and shelter and even term their crying as crocodile tears are unfit to be leaders," Mr Ruto said.

The minister, who has in the past opposed the evictions from the country's largest source of water, said the success of a government was measured by the way it treated the poor and vulnerable.

"We have no moral authority to lead if we treat the vulnerable the way we have treated those evicted from the Mau," Mr Ruto said in what could lead to the worsening of ties between him and the Prime Minister.

At the weekend, Mr Odinga launched a scathing criticism against some Rift Valley leaders whom he accused of having benefited from illegal allocation of land in the Mau.

"Those who are inciting them (settlers) and shedding crocodile tears were beneficiaries of thousands of acres of land, and if they are honest, let them settle the squatters in their lands," the PM said.

Party leader

And on Monday, Mr Odinga was at it again when he criticised some leaders for being "selfish" by opposing the evictions.

The opposing views taken by the two leaders are likely to widen the rift within ODM where the PM is the party leader and Mr Ruto one of the two deputy party leaders.

While addressing a "Green and Competitive Electricity Conference" in Nairobi, Mr Odinga told politicians to keep politics out of the evictions.

He also defended the government against claims that the eviction was ruthless. "The government is trying to do it as humanely as possible."

He also said the eviction was not only focused on Mau but would also target all the water towers in the country.

At the same time, ministers John Michuki (Environment) and Kiraitu Murungi (Energy) supported efforts to eject squatters from water towers.

Mr Murungi showered praise on the Prime Minister for his "relentless war" over the conservation of the Mau "at the expense of his political career."

Meanwhile, political rallies in Maasai Mau have been banned. Narok South district commissioner Chimwaga Mongo said the move was to ensure that politicians do not inflame passions over the evictions.

Narok South MP Nkoidila ole Lankas and Narok County councillors Salanket ole Nchoe and Jackson ole Kamue welcomed the ban. Evictions in the Maasai Mau are set to begin next month.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church yesterday said that the evictions were not being conducted in a humane way.

John Cardinal Njue, who chairs the church's Episcopal Conference, its highest decision-making body in Kenya, said subjecting the settlers to suffering was inhumane and the government should intervene to save the settlers from further suffering.

He also said the eviction policy should not only target the poor but it should be extended to the individuals occupying chunks of forest land within Mau. He was speaking at St Mary's Catholic Church in Molo during a Peace and Reconciliation Mass on Sunday.

Bishop Cornelius Korir of Eldoret diocese of the Catholic Church also expressed outrage over the evictions.

Industrialisation minister Henry Kosgey, Emgwen MP Elijah Lagat, former nominated MP Mark Too and former Army Geneneral Augustine Cheruiyot said the eviction plan should be halted until the government showed respect to humanity.